Seven years ago, Madrid’s Council approved the installation of a sculpture in memory and recognition of political prisoners deported to Nazi concentration camps after the Spanish Civil War.

The 549 Republicans who were sent to Mauthausen and other camps are commemorated with a 5-piece set of steel sculptures by local artist José Miguel Utande. The project, delayed by the pandemic, was finally installed in March 2023. The largest piece represents the “Liberty Gate”; 3 large columns, inscribed with the names of all the deportees, are “the trees of dreams.” The last piece features a fragment of the “Mauthausen Oath”, which was taken by the Spanish survivors of the camps, promising to tell the world what they lived through so as to help prevent its repetition. I think it’s a beautiful piece, suitably sombre and impressive.

Tucked away just behind la Plaza de La Villa, and close to the popular Mercado de San Miguel and the Plaza Mayor, it’s a good place to step away from the crowds and have a moment’s reflection.